The Pirates’ season opener against the Mets was brutal in terms of their fielding effort. Misplays and misjudgments not only took away the game from them, but also forced Paul Skenes to pitch the shortest inning in his MLB career (0.2). Most notably, it was Oneil Cruz who made two fielding blunders that helped the Mets score four runs. And Pirates manager Don Kelly took no time to offer an ultimatum to Cruz after pulling him from the second game’s lineup.

“Lefty starter, wanted to get Mangum in there, Yorke in there today,” Kelly said. “Coming off the game Thursday, Oneil knows he has to get better, continue to work, continue to do the things that he needs to do to help this team win. Today was planned, and I had a good conversation with him, that he knows there’s work to be done.”

Well, Cruz is no longer a rookie as he debuted in MLB back in 2021. Till 2023, he was in the Pirates’ infield, acting as shortstop, and then got assigned to center field. However, his struggle continued.

Last year, he finished with -14 DRS, which was the second-worst mark of any qualified center fielder in MLB. Therefore, as Kelly shared how he communicated with Cruz regarding his areas of improvement, the ultimatum is not based on the opening game but on Cruz’s actions over the past few years.

The Pirates signed Cruz for 1-year $3.3 million to avoid salary arbitration. So Kelly is honest about expecting Cruz to contribute to the winning cause. However, the action against Cruz didn’t stop with the ultimatum, but also an omission from the lineup for the second game.

“When you don’t make those two plays in center field, it makes it tough because they could have been outs … The defense cost us some pitches and then cost Paul the first inning there,” Kelly said after the opening game debacle. So, writing was already on the wall about what’s coming for Cruz.

In the second game against the Mets, Cruz will hit the bench, and Jake Mangum will make his debut in his place. However, Kelly, despite offering the ultimatum to Cruz, denied benching him for his opening game performance. According to him, as the Mets are starting left-handed pitcher David Peterson, Cruz is benched. Yes, Cruz hit just .102 against left-handed pitching last year, which might have prompted Kelly to make the change.

However, the Pirates’ front office undoubtedly signaled to Oneil Cruz about their expectations.

The Pirates are on the verge of getting an Oneil Cruz replacement

While the Pirates’ front office made a statement by benching Cruz in the second game, it may not be a sustainable method in the long term. The reason for this is a lack of options on the team.

Cruz’s struggle against left-handed pitching is nothing new. Last season, he had just 11 hits in 108 at-bats against left-handers. Even his fielding struggles are nothing new. Still, the Pirates can’t help but field Cruz in center field.

The first reason is that the Pirates can’t option Oneil Cruz back to the minors. He is reportedly out of minor league options for the 2026 season, meaning the Pirates cannot send him down to Triple-A to work on his defensive fundamentals without risk of losing him. Yes, there are alternatives like Nick Yorke and Billy Cook, but they lack the game-changing offensive upside that Cruz can eventually provide.

Despite his struggles, Cruz still recorded his first career grand slam last year, along with reaching the semifinals of the 2025 Home Run Derby.

However, things could change with the rise of Mangum. Last year, he slashed .279/.309/.341 for an OPS of .650 against left-handed pitching. Even his error-free fielding stats could be good for the Pirates. Last year, he recorded +4 Fielding Run Value (79th percentile).

So, a few good performances could cement Mangum’s place in the starting lineup. But it would be interesting to see if the Pirates are willing to replace Oneil Cruz.